Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt died suddenly last week from a heart attack he suffered in the legislative offices.

“I’m hoping, under the circumstances, there will be cooperation on behalf of the residents of Nassau County so that we can get a budget through,” Gonsalves said.

Legislative committees are scheduled to meet on Oct. 15, and the full Legislature will meet on Oct. 29 to vote on the budget. If it is not approved, the Legislature will have to adopt the county’s 2012-13 budget as a contingency spending plan.

According to Gonsalves, however, the Legislature could meet again, after the special election, to pass the 2013-14 budget.

Kevan Abrahams, a Democrat from Hempstead and the Legislature’s minority leader, said it would send “the wrong message” to credit rating agencies if the county did not pass a budget on time. “There’s been a lot of animosity and a lot of turmoil in the Legislature, especially this past year,” Abrahams said. “Now is an opportunity that we’re in a position, where it’s nine Democrats and nine Republicans, to really roll up our sleeves and work together. From that standpoint, it might be something that actually gets done. I think the people of Nassau County deserve that.”